Live a Self-Directed Life

Why you shouldn't go to college but instead embrace a new ZTC ("zero tuition college") approach to a successful life - such is the essence of an insightful self-help book by Blake Boles. On the surface, Better Than College: How to Build a Successful Life Without a Four-Year Degree might not seem like a terribly desirable book for a student. But the author's five-step process is so thetic and yet so widely applicable that you will come to love it and share it as a new life strategy:

1. BUILD SELF-KNOWLEDGE. Figure out what deeply interests and drives you.
2. GIVE YOURSELF ASSIGNMENTS. Undertake projects, read books, do internships, start businesses, practice extensively, and find other ways to increase your knowledge and skills.
3. CREATE AND SHARE VALUE. Volunteer, get hired, or sell your work. Organize groups, plan events, or start small movements. Write, blog, film, code, or photograph. Dedicate your time to building and creating things that other people find valuable and then share them with the world.
4. FIND SUPPORT. Intelligently navigate your self-directed life. Seek the guidance, mentorship, and friendship of adults and peers. Ask them to keep you accountable for what you say you will do.
5. MARKET YOURSELF. Build an online portfolio that tells your story, displays your accomplishments, and makes you easy to find. Expand your network by being genuinely helpful to those in need and learn how to land jobs through referrals and other creative means.

The 144-page book is chock full of concrete ideas to get started as well as inspirational examples. Students can download it for free here.